Bolted type connector

ABSTRACT

A bolt-tightened connector has a first half connector body and a second half connector body that fit together. A bolt is rotatably attached to the first half connector body. A nut is secured to the second half connector body. An approximately V-shaped single piece plate spring is attached at an intermediate region of the bolt inside the first half connector body. When the connector bodies are fit together, a screw portion of the bolt passes through the nut and the bolt freely turns. Also, the plate spring is compressed and a base end of the screw portion of the bolt is pulled toward the nut by the repulsion force. A harness fixing piece for restricting and securing the drawing direction of the wire harness may also be provided at the first half connector body and be secured to the harness fixing piece by taping.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a bolt-tightened connector used forconnecting a wire harness etc. of a vehicle such as an automobile, morespecifically relates to a bolt-tightened connector of a type connectingtwo half connector bodies into one using a nut and bolt.

BACKGROUND ART

A multi-way connector of the related art formed by fitting two halfconnector bodies requires a large force for connecting the two halves,so, as described in the Japanese Examined Patent Publication (Kokoku)No. 1-57471, one structured by connection by using the tightening forceobtained by a nut and bolt has been proposed. Such a bolt-tightenedconnector is composed of a first half connector body and a second halfconnector body fitting into each other. A bolt having a screw portion atits front end is rotatably attached to the first half connector body,and a spring member, that is, a coil spring, is interposed between thehead of the bolt and the outer wall surface of the first half connectorbody. On the other hand, a nut is secured to the second half connectorbody.

According to this configuration, both of the half connector bodies canbe connected with a small force by screwing the screw portion of thebolt into the nut. When the two half connector bodies are sufficientlyfit together, the screw portion of the bolt passes through the nut andthe bolt can be turned freely. Accordingly, a worker can determine thatthe engagement is completed and thereby prevent damage to the connectordue to excessive tightening.

Also, when the screw portion of the bolt passes through the nut, thespring member is compressed and the repulsion force thereof presses thebase end of the screw portion of the bolt against the nut. When the boltis rotated in reverse in this state, the screw portion of the bolt isreliably screwed into the nut, which is convenient at the time ofdetaching the two half connector bodies.

In the above bolt-tightened connector, however, since a coil spring isinterposed as a spring member between the head of the bolt and the outerwall surface of the first half connector body, the length of the boltprojecting from the outer wall surface of the first half connector bodybecomes longer. Therefore, there is the disadvantage that the first halfconnector body becomes larger. It has been also proposed to use a springwasher instead of the above coil spring, however, a spring washer has asmall contact area with the head of the bolt and the outer wall surfaceof the first half connector body, so the axis of the bolt easily becomesoff-centered and screwing the screw portion of the bolt into the nut isdifficult.

Also, in the above bolt-tightened connector, the second half connectorbody may be formed as a part of an electrical connection box and a wireharness connected to the first half connector body. In such a case, aharness cover is detachably attached to the first half connector body,and the wire harness is drawn out to the outside from a harness outletformed at a predetermined position of the harness cover.

The wire harness connected to the first connector has a large number ofwires due to being for multi-way use and the outer diameter of theplurality of wires bundled together becomes large as well. Therefore, itis difficult to keep the drawing direction of the wire harness from thefirst connector substantially constant. When forcibly bending the wireharness near the harness outlet to try to adjust the drawing directionof the wire harness, the terminals and wires in the first half connectorbody are subject to stress which is liable to cause inconvenience.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

A first object of the present invention is to provide a bolt-tightenedconnector wherein a first half connector body to which the bolt isattached is made compact and the bolt is kept from becoming off-centeredaxially.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a bolt-tightenedconnector enabling the direction of drawing the wire harness from thefirst half connector body to be kept substantially constant andpreventing stress from being applied to the terminals or wires in thefirst half connector body.

A bolt-tightened connector according to the first aspect of the presentinvention for achieving the first object comprises a first halfconnector body, a second half connector body to be fitted in the firsthalf connector body, a bolt rotatably held by the first half connectorbody, a nut secured to the second half connector body, and anapproximately V-shaped plate spring which is arranged at an intermediateregion of the bolt positioned in the first half connector body, which iscompressed when fitting the first half connector body in the second halfconnector body and a screw portion of the bolt passes through the nutand the bolt freely turns, and which pulls a base end of the screwportion of the bolt to the nut by the repulsion force due to thecompression.

By doing this, the portion of the bolt projecting from the outer wallsurface of the first half connector body becomes substantially only thehead of the bolt, so the first half connector body can be made compact.Further, the approximately V-shaped plate spring gives a large contactarea with the members compressing the same, so the possibility of thebolt becoming off-centered axially becomes low.

In the above configuration, the second half connector body may have acylindrical nut holder for securing the nut, the bolt may have a stopperattached in the intermediate region toward the head and a step portionformed in the intermediate region toward the screw portion, and theplate spring may be attached between the stopper and the step portionand be compressed between the stopper and the front end of the nutholder when the screw portion of the bolt passes through the nut.

By doing this, the possibility of the bolt becoming off-centered axiallybecomes further smaller and it is possible to prevent the bolt fromdropping out from the first half connector body before fitting togetherthe first half connector body and the second half connector body or whenseparating the first half connector body and the second half connectorbody and therefore the work efficiency can be vastly improved.

Further, in the above configuration, the nut may be integrally securedto the second half connector body by insert molding or may be insertedinto the cylindrical nut holder formed at the second half connector bodyand then be secured by inserting the cylindrical member to the nutholder to grip it.

By doing this, it is possible to prevent the bolt from dropping out fromthe second half connector body before fitting together the first halfconnector body and the second half connector body or when separating thefirst half connector body and the second half connector body andtherefore the work efficiency can be vastly improved. Further, whenholding the nut by using the cylindrical member, any bits of metalproduced can be kept in the inside space of the cylindrical member andtherefore prevented from dispersing elsewhere.

Further, in the above configuration, the plate spring may be held withrespect to the first half connector body so as to restrict rotationthereof about the bolt.

By doing this, rattling of the plate spring can be prevented and thescrew portion of the bolt can be more reliably guided to the nut whenfitting the parts together.

A bolt-tightened connector according to a second aspect of the presentinvention for achieving the above second object comprises a first halfconnector body, a second half connector body to be fitted in the firsthalf connector body, a bolt rotatably held by one of the first halfconnector body and second half connector body; a nut held by the otherof the first half connector body and second half connector body, and aharness fixing piece provided at the first half connector body andrestricting the drawing direction of the wire harness.

By doing this, the wire harness can be secured in the state drawn outalong the harness fixing piece. Accordingly, it is easy to keep thedrawing direction of the wire harness substantially constant. As aresult, it is possible to prevent stress caused by bending the wireharness etc. from being applied to the internal terminals and wires.

In the above configuration, a slide groove may be provided in the firsthalf connector body to engage with and secure the harness fixing pieceand the harness fixing piece may be made attachable and detachable toand from the slide groove.

By doing this, molding of the first half connector body becomes easy anda variety of shapes of harness fixing pieces can be attached inaccordance with need.

Also, in the above configuration, a harness cover attached to the firsthalf connector body and covering the wire harness may be provided and aharness outlet for drawing out the wire harness may be provided near theharness fixing piece of the harness cover.

By doing this, it is possible to cover the terminal side portion etc. ofthe wire harness secured by the harness fixing piece and possible toprevent contact etc. with the outside.

Furthermore, in the above configuration, an approximately V-shaped platespring may be provided which is arranged at an intermediate region ofthe bolt positioned inside of one of the first half connector body andthe second half connector body, which is compressed when fittingtogether the first half connector body and the second half connectorbody and the screw portion of the bolt passes through the nut and freelyturns, and which pulls a base end of the screw portion of the bolttoward the nut by the repulsion force caused by the compression.

By doing this, the portion of the bolt projecting from the outer wallsurface of one of the first half connector body and the second halfconnector body becomes substantially only the head of the bolt, so thatone of the half connector bodies can be made compact. Further, since theapproximately V-shaped plate spring can give a large contact area withthe members compressing the same, the possibility of the bolt becomingoff-centered axially becomes low.

In the above configuration, the other of the first half connector bodyand the other second half connector body may have a cylindrical nutholder for securing the nut, the bolt may have a stopper attached in theintermediate region toward the head and a step portion formed in theintermediate region toward the screw portion, and the plate spring maybe attached between the stopper and the step portion and be compressedbetween the stopper and the front end of the nut holder when the screwportion of the bolt passes through the nut.

By doing this, the possibility of the bolt becoming off-centered axiallybecomes further smaller and it is possible to prevent the bolt fromdropping out from the one half connector body before fitting togetherthe first half connector body and the second half connector body or whenseparating the first half connector body and the second half connectorbody and therefore the work efficiency can be vastly improved.

Further, in the above configuration, the nut may be integrally securedto the other of the first half connector body and second half connectorbody by insert molding or may be inserted into the cylindrical nutholder formed at the other half connector body and then be secured byinserting the cylindrical member to the nut holder to grip it. By doingthis, it is possible to prevent the nut from dropping out from the otherhalf connector body before fitting together the first half connectorbody and the second half connector body or when separating the firsthalf connector body and the second half connector body and therefore thework efficiency can be vastly improved. Further, when holding the nut byusing the cylindrical member, any bits of metal produced can be kept inthe inside space of the cylindrical member and therefore prevented fromdispersing elsewhere.

Further, in the above configuration, the plate spring may be held withrespect to one of the first half connector body and second halfconnector body so as to restrict rotation thereof about the bolt.

By doing this, rattling of the plate spring can be prevented and thescrew portion of the bolt can be more reliably guided to the nut whenfitting the parts together.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A to 1C show one embodiment of a bolt-tightened connectoraccording to a first aspect of the present invention, wherein FIG. 1A isa sectional view of the state at the time of start of the fitting, FIG.1B is a sectional view of the state during the fitting, and FIG. 1C is asectional view of the state after the fitting;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the bolt used in the embodiment of FIGS. 1A to1C;

FIGS. 3A to 3C show a plate spring used in the embodiment of FIG. 1,wherein FIG. 3A is a plan view, FIG. 3B is a front view, and FIG. 3C isa bottom view;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a second half connector in another embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view along the line a—a of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a second half connector body in stillanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of an assembled state of the core part of theembodiment shown in FIG. 6;

FIGS. 8A and 8B show a bolt-tightened connector in still anotherembodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 8A is a view of thestate at the time of start of fitting and FIG. 8B is a view of the stateafter fitting;

FIGS. 9A to 9C show an embodiment of a bolt-tightened connectoraccording to a second aspect of the present invention, wherein FIG. 9Ais a plan view of the first half connector body, FIG. 9B is a front viewof the first half connector body, and FIG. 9C is a bottom view of thefirst half connector body;

FIGS. 10A and 10B show a bolt-tightened connector of FIGS. 9A to 9C,wherein FIG. 10A is a view from the left side of the first halfconnector body and FIG. 10B is a view from the right side of the firsthalf connector body;

FIG. 11A is a sectional view along the line b—b of FIG. 10B, and FIG.11B is a sectional view along the line c—c of FIG. 10B; and

FIGS. 12A and 12B show the second half connector body fit in the firsthalf connector body of FIGS. 9A to 9C, wherein FIG. 12A is a plan viewand FIG. 12B is a front view.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Below, embodiments of the present invention will be explained in detailwith reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a bolt-tightened connector according to afirst aspect of the present invention. This bolt-tightened connectorcomprises, as shown in FIG. 1, a first half connector body 1 and asecond half connector body 2. The first half connector body 1 and thesecond half connector body 2 are formed to fit with each other. Also,the first half connector body 1 and the second half connector body 2 areprovided with a plurality of terminals (not shown) for electricalconnection.

The first half connector body 1 has a cylinder portion 6 verticallyprojecting at the center portion of a housing. A bolt 3 is passedrotatably through the cylinder portion 6. The bolt 3 has, as shown inFIG. 2, a head 3 b at one end and a screw portion 3 a at the other endand has a groove 3 c for mounting a stopper at an intermediate portiontoward the head 3 b and a step portion 3 d with a step surface facingthe head 3 b side at the intermediate portion toward the screw portion 3a. The outer diameter of the step portion 3 d is the same as or a littlesmaller than the outer diameter of the screw portion 3 a.

A plate-shaped stopper 7 is attached at the groove 3 c of the bolt 3 asshown in FIG. 1. As the stopper 7, a C-ring etc. on the market can beused. Also, an approximately V-shaped plate spring 5 is attached betweenthe stopper 7 and the step portion 3 d.

The plate spring 5 has, as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, an upper boltthrough hole 5 c and a lower bolt through hole 5 d respectively formedon an upper plate portion 5 a and a lower plate portion 5 b and has aplurality of tooth portions 5 e formed facing downward at a slant at theedge of the lower bolt through hole 5 d.

The inner diameter of a circular hole formed by the front ends of theplurality of the tooth portions 5 e is set smaller than the outerdiameter of the step portion 3 d of the bolt 3. As a result, when theplate spring 5 passes to the bolt 3 from the screw portion 3 a side, theupper plate portion 5 a of the plate spring 5 hits the stopper 7 first.When further pressing up the lower plate portion 5 b, the tooth portions5 e elastically deform, ride over the outer circumference of the stepportion 3 d, then catch on the step portion 3 d. In this state, theplate spring 5 can no longer pull out from the bolt 3. Also, the platespring 5 opens in interval between the upper plate portion 5 a and thelower plate portion 5 b the further to the free end and has an extramargin to be compressed. Further, the plate spring 5 is held in thefirst half connector body 1 so that it cannot rotate. Due to this, therattling of the plate spring 5 can be prevented.

On the other hand, the second half connector body 2 has a nut 4 attachedto it so as not to rotate. In this embodiment, the nut 4 is integrallysecured in the cylindrical nut holder 8 formed in the second halfconnector body 2 by insert molding.

In the bolt-tightened connector having the above configuration, when thefirst half connector body 1 is fit into the second half connector body2, first, as shown in FIG. 1A, the front end of the screw portion 3 a ofthe bolt 3 strikes the nut 4. Then, by rotating the bolt 3 in theclockwise direction and screwing the screw portion 3 a into the nut 4,the two connector half bodies 1 and 2 are fit together. FIG. 1B showsthe stage where the two half connector bodies 1 and 2 are being fittogether and the lower plate portion 5 b of the plate spring 5 contactsthe front end of the nut holder 8. At this stage, the two half connectorbodies 1, 2 substantially finish being fit together, but the platespring 5 is not yet compressed from the initial state. Further, thescrew portion 3 a of the bolt is still engaged with the nut 4.

When further screwing in the bolt 3, finally, as shown in FIG. 1C, thescrew portion 3 a of the bolt passes through the nut 4 and the bolt 3turns freely. As a result, a worker can determine that the two halfconnector bodies 1 and 2 have been completely fit together. Also, inthis state, the plate spring 5 is compressed between the stopper 7 andthe front end of the nut holder 8 and generates a repulsion force. Thebase end of the screw portion 3 a of the bolt is pulled toward the nut 4by this repulsion force. Therefore, when separating the two halfconnector bodies 1 and 2, the separating work can be performed easily byjust turning the bolt 3 in the counterclockwise direction, so the screwportion 3 a of the bolt 3 is reliably screwed in the nut 4.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show another embodiment of the present invention. Insidethe second connector half body 2, a plurality of male terminals 11 arearranged in the state projected from the bottom surface. Accordingly,when carelessly fitting the first connector half body 1, part of thehousing etc. of the first connector half body 1 strikes the front endsof the male terminals 11 and easily cause an inconvenience such asbending of the male terminals 11 etc. To prevent the inconvenience, inthe present embodiment, ribs 12 higher than the male terminals 11 areprovided projecting between the rows of the male terminals 11 so thatwhen fitting the first half connector body 1, the part of the housingetc. does not directly strike the front ends of the male terminals 11.

Further, the nut holder 8 of the second connector half body 2 isnormally formed at the center of a portion surrounded by a peripheralwall 13, and the bolt 3 to be passed through the first connector halfbody 1 is also provided at the corresponding position. Therefore, thefirst connector half body 1 is, in some cases, erroneously fit in thesecond connector half body 2 in the opposite direction or in an inclinedstate. In this case as well, deformation of the male terminals 11 etc.easily occurs. To prevent this, in the present embodiment, guideprojections 14 extending in the fitting direction are formedasymmetrically to the right and left on the inner surface of theperipheral wall 13 and guide grooves (not shown) corresponding to theguide projections 14 are formed on the outer surface of the first halfconnector body 1 so that the first half connector body 1 cannot be fitin the opposite direction or in an inclined state when fitting the firsthalf connector body 1.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show still another embodiment of the present invention. Inthe embodiment of FIG. 1, the nut 4 was formed by insert molding insidethe cylindrical nut holder 8 formed in the second half connector body 2,however, the insert molding is troublesome. Therefore, in the presentembodiment, the nut 4 is press fit inside the nut holder 8 formed in thesecond half connector body 2, and a cylindrical member 16 is providedprojecting from a case member 15 to be assembled to the further lowerside of the second half connector body 2. By inserting the cylindricalmember 16 to the nut holder 8, the step portion 8 a of the nut holder 8and the front end portion 16 a of the cylindrical member 16 hold the nut4 between them. By doing so, the nut 4 can be firmly secured to thesecond half connector body 2 without the insert molding. Also, whenattaching and detaching the two half connector bodies 1 and 2, sincebits of metal generated from the screw portion 3 a and the nut 4 can bekept in the inside space of the cylindrical member 16, the bits of metalcan be prevented from spreading inside the electrical connection box.

As explained above, according to the bolt-tightened connector accordingto the first aspect of the present invention, since the approximatelyV-shaped plate spring 5 is attached at an intermediate part of the bolt3 positioned inside the first half connector body 1, the length of thebolt 3 projecting from the outer wall surface of the first halfconnector body 1 can be made shorter and the first half connector body 1can be made compact. Further, since the approximately V-shaped platespring 5 has a larger contact area with the members compressing it, thebolt 3 is less liable to become off-centered axially and the work offitting together the two half connector bodies 1 and 2 becomes easier.

FIGS. 8A and 8B show still another embodiment of the present invention.In the present embodiment, the first half connector body 1 has acylinder portion 6 a vertically projecting from the center of thehousing, and the cylinder portion 6 a is formed longer than the cylinderportion 6 shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly, when fitting together the twohalf connector bodies 1 and 2 in a place the worker cannot see, he orshe can perform the work by gripping the cylinder portion 6 a. Due tothis, the work can be facilitated.

FIGS. 9A to 9C to 12A and 12B show an embodiment of the bolt-tightenedconnector according to the second aspect of the present invention. Thebolt-tightened connector comprises, in the same way as the explainedbolt-tightened connector shown in FIG. 1, a first half connector body100 to which a bolt 3, a plate spring 5, and a stopper 7 are attached, asecond half connector body 200 to which a nut 4 is attached, and aharness cover 300 to be attached to the first half connector body 100.

Note that the relationship between the bolt 3 attaching the plate spring5 and the stopper 7 and the first half connector body 100, therelationship between the nut 4 and the second half connector body 200,and the actions of the bolt 3, the nut 4, the plate spring 5, and thestopper 7 at the time of fitting together the first half connector body100 and the second half connector body 200 are the same as in the aboveexplained case shown in FIG. 1, so the explanations thereof will beomitted here.

The first half connector body 100 is covered by the harness cover 300 asshown in FIGS. 9A to 9C and FIGS. 10A and 10B. The harness cover 300 isdetachably attached to the first half connector body 100. At one endside of the harness cover 300, a harness outlet 130 is formed fordrawing out the wire harness 120 to the outside.

Corresponding to the harness outlet 130, the one end side of the firsthalf connector body 100 is provided with a harness fixing piece 140 forrestricting and securing the drawing direction of the wire harness 120.The wire harness 120 connected to the first half connector body 100 issecured to the harness fixing piece 140 by taping etc.

As a result, the drawing direction of the wire harness 120 from thefirst half connector body 100 can be made substantially constant. Evenif the wire harness 120 is forcibly bent near the outside of the firsthalf connector body 100, effects due to the bending are blocked at theposition where the wire harness 120 is secured to the harness fixingpiece 140 and do not reach the terminals in the first half connectorbody 100, so the stress imposed on the terminals and the wires can bemade smaller.

Note that the harness cover 300 is assembled to the first half connectorbody 100 after connecting the wire harness 120 to the first halfconnector body 100 and further securing the wire harness 120 to theharness fixing piece 140 by taping etc.

Next, the structure of attachment of the harness fixing piece 140 andthe structure of preventing erroneous assembly of the two half connectorbodies 100 and 200 will be explained.

The side surface of the one end of the first half connector body 100 isprovided with a mount 150 for the harness fixing piece 140 projectingfrom it. The mount 150, as shown in FIGS. 10B and 11, is fit in bysliding the plate-shaped base portion 140 a of the harness fixing piece140 and forms a slide groove for securing the harness fixing piece 140.When projections 160 are formed between the mounts 150 on the two sides,and the base portion 140 a of the harness fixing piece 140 is insertedto the mount 150 to the end, the projections 160 enter into a windowportion 170 formed in the base portion 140 a of the harness fixing piece140. As a result, the harness fixing piece 140 becomes impossible topull out. Note that the side surface of the other end of the first halfconnector body 100 is flat and there is no projecting portion formed onit corresponding to the mount 150.

On the other hand, the second half connector body 200, as shown in FIG.12A, is formed at one end inside the peripheral wall 210 with a recessedportion 220 to which the mount 150 slidingly fits. The other end insidethe peripheral wall 210 is not formed with anything corresponding to therecessed portion 220.

When structured in this way, when fitting the first half connector body100 in the second half connector body 200, fitting is impossible unlessthe mount 150 of the harness fixing piece 140 is aligned with therecessed portion 220 of the second half connector body 200. Therefore,erroneous assembling, that is, erroneously fitting the first halfconnector body 100 in the opposite direction to the right and left, canbe prevented.

Note that, in the present embodiment, a case was explained where theharness fixing piece 140 was produced as a separate member from thehousing of the first half connector body 100 and then attached to thehousing of the first half connector body 100, however, the harnessfixing piece 140 can also be formed integrally with the housing of thefirst half connector body 100. Also, as shown in FIG. 12, the secondhalf connector body 200 is formed as a part of the electrical connectorbox 200 a. Further, although the configuration where the harness fixingpiece 140 was attached to the first half connector body 100 was shown,it may be configured to be attached to the second half connector body200 as well.

Next, a means for confirming the fit of the first half connector body100 and the second half connector body 200 will be explained.

As shown in FIG. 9B, the front surface of the harness cover 300 attachedto the first half connector body 100 is formed with an elastic piece 320by forming two slits 310. The free end of the elastic piece 320 isformed with a triangular peak-shaped projection 330 projecting from theperipheral wall of the harness cover 300.

On the other hand, the front surface of the peripheral wall 210 of thesecond half connector body 200 is formed with a hole 240 as shown inFIG. 12B. This hole 240 has a size enabling the top portion of theprojection 330 formed on the elastic piece 320 to enter into it andformed at the position where the projection 330 is inserted when thefirst half connector body 100 and the second half connector body 200 arecompletely fit together.

Accordingly, when fitting the first half connector body 100 into thesecond half connector body 200 by screwing the bolt 3, the fittingproceeds while the elastic piece 320 elastically deforms toward theinside. When the fit is completed, the top portion of the projection 330is inserted into the hole 240 of the peripheral wall 210 of the secondhalf connector body 200 and the top portion of the projection 330 can beseen from the outside. As a result, even after the fitting work isfinished, it is possible to confirm whether the fit was correctly doneby the fact that the projection 330 can be seen inside the hole 240.

Note that a hook 350 formed on the upper surface of the harness cover300 is for temporarily hanging the first half connector body 100 from apart of a vehicle body at the stage of preparation before fitting thefirst half connector body 100 into the second half connector body 200.

As explained above, according to the bolt-tightened connector of thesecond aspect of the present invention, by providing the first halfconnector body 100 with the harness fixing piece 140 for restricting andsecuring the drawing direction of the wire harness 120, the wire harness120 can be secured in the state drawing the wire harness 120 along withthe harness fixing piece 140. Accordingly, it becomes easy to make thedrawing direction of the wire harness 120 substantially constant. Also,due to this, it becomes possible to make it difficult for the stress dueto bending etc. of the wire harness 120 to be applied to the terminaland wires inside the first half connector body 100.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As explained above, the bolt-tightened connector of the presentinvention makes assembly easy while making itself compact and,furthermore, is capable of reducing the stress etc. imposed on theterminals and wires by restricting the drawing direction of the wireharness, so is useful for use as multi-way connector of a vehicle suchas an automobile.

What is claimed is:
 1. A bolt-tightened connector, comprising: a firsthalf connector body; a second half connector body to be fitted in thefirst half connector body; a bolt rotatably held by one of the firsthalf connector body and second half connector body; a nut held by theother of the first half connector body and second half connector body;and a harness fixing piece provided at the first half connector body andrestricting the drawing direction of the wire harness wherein provisionis made of a harness cover attached to the first half connector body andcovering the wire harness and the harness cover has a harness outlet fordrawing out the wire harness near the harness fixing piece.
 2. Abolt-tightened connector comprising: a first half connector body, asecond half connector body to be fitted in the first half connectorbody, a bolt rotatably held by the first half connector body and havinga head and a screw portion disposed opposite the head, a nut secured tothe second half connector body, a stopper carried by the bolt anddisposed apart from and between the head and screw portion of the boltat an intermediate region of the bolt, and an approximately V-shapedsingle piece plate spring which is arranged at the intermediate regionof the bolt positioned in the first half connector body, which iscompressed when fitting the first half connector body in the second halfconnector body and the screw portion of the bolt passes through the nutand the bolt freely turns, and which pulls a base end of the screwportion of the bolt to the nut by a repulsion force due to compressionof the approximately V-shaped single piece plate spring compressedbetween and in contact with the stopper and the second half connectorbody.
 3. A bolt-tightened connector according to claim 2, wherein thesecond half connector body has a cylindrical nut holder for securing thenut, the bolt has a stopper attached in the intermediate region towardthe head and a step portion formed in the intermediate region toward thescrew portion, and the plate spring is attached between the stopper andthe step portion and is compressed between the stopper and the front endof the nut holder when the screw portion of the bolt passes through thenut.
 4. A bolt-tightened connector according to claim 2, wherein the nutis integrally secured to the second half connector body by insertmolding.
 5. A bolt-tightened connector according to claim 2, wherein thenut is inserted into the cylindrical nut holder formed at the secondhalf connector body and then is secured by inserting the cylindricalmember to the nut holder to grip it.
 6. A bolt-tightened connectoraccording to claim 2, wherein the plate spring is held with respect tothe first half connector body so as to restrict rotation thereof aboutthe bolt.
 7. A bolt-tightened connector comprising: a first halfconnector body, a second half connector body to be fitted in the firsthalf connector body, a bolt rotatably held by one of the first halfconnector body and second half connector body and having a head and ascrew portion disposed opposite the head, a nut held by the other of thefirst half connector body and second half connector body, a stoppercarried by the bolt and disposed apart from and between the head andscrew portion of the bolt at an intermediate region of the bolt, aharness fixing piece provided at the first half connector body andrestricting the drawing direction of the wire harness, and anapproximately V-shaped single piece plate spring arranged at theintermediate region of the bolt positioned between the first halfconnector body and the second half connector body, which is compressedwhen fitting together the first half connector body and the second halfconnector body and the screw portion of the bolt passes through the nutand freely turns, and which pulls a base end of the screw portion of thebolt toward the nut by a repulsion force caused by compression of theapproximately V-shaped single piece plate spring compressed between andin contact with the stopper and the other of the first half connectorbody and the second half connector body.
 8. A bolt-tightened connectoraccording to claim 7, wherein: the first half connector body has a slidegroove to engage with and secure the harness fixing piece and theharness fixing piece is made attachable and detachable to and from theslide groove.
 9. A bolt-tightened connector according to claim 7,wherein an approximately V-shaped plate spring is provided which isarranged at an intermediate region of the bolt positioned inside of oneof the first half connector body and the second half connector body,which is compressed when fitting together the first half connector bodyand the second half connector body and the screw portion of the boltpasses through the nut and freely turns, and which pulls a base end ofthe screw portion of the bolt toward the nut by the repulsion forcecaused by the compression.
 10. A bolt-tightened connector according toclaim 7, wherein: the other of the first half connector body and theother second half connector body has a cylindrical nut holder forsecuring the nut, the bolt has a stopper attached in the intermediateregion toward the head and a step portion formed in the intermediateregion toward the screw portion, and the plate spring is attachedbetween the stopper and the step portion and is compressed between thestopper and the front end of the nut holder when the screw portion ofthe bolt passes through the nut.
 11. A bolt-tightened connectoraccording to claim 7, wherein the nut is integrally secured to the otherof the first half connector body and second half connector body byinsert molding.
 12. A bolt-tightened connector according to claim 7,wherein the nut is inserted into the cylindrical nut holder formed atthe other half connector body and then is secured by inserting thecylindrical member to the nut holder to grip it.
 13. A bolt-tightenedconnector according to claim 7, wherein the plate spring is held withrespect to one of the first half connector body and second halfconnector body so as to restrict rotation thereof about the bolt.